Heart of iron
by StupidSexyFlanders
Summary: An experiment gone wrong. A rift in space and time. Two universes collide and master Tigress from the Jade Palace materialize in the laboratory of Tony Stark. See what happends when the Iron man meet the warrior with an heart of iron.
1. Chapter 1 : Arrival

Hi everybody. For my first fan fiction ever, I went for a little weird crossover: Kung-Fu panda vs... Iron Man! I know it is very silly, but the goal of fan fiction is having fun writing it! Feel free to comment for I value your advice. English is not my first language so if you see any grammatical absurdities, don't be afraid to report them. This story is set after the movie Iron man 2 and between Kung–Fu panda 1 and 2. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of this story. Kung-Fu Panda is a property of Deamworks SKG and Iron man is a property of Marvel.

New revised edition! Thank a lot to kriseleven.

* * *

><p>1 : Arrival<p>

"I am detecting an increase in trans-dimensional activity." Jarvis's voice boomed thorough the Stark mansion. "I estimate that the rift will open within two minutes".

"Damn it!" Tony Stark dropped the Playboy magazine he was reading. "This is the third time this month!" He started running toward his lab.

"Jarvis, is the security system online?"

"Affirmative sir, tasers, tear gas, rubber bullets, nets and kitchen sink operational."

"Very funny, tin can. Better safe than sorry."

Tony cursed himself. He should never have helped Reed Richards test his dimensional gateway in his lab. Now the gateway was gone but had realized after that it had weakened the fabric of space time permanently in this spot. Things were still getting through and Richards was nowhere to be found. Probably away on some mission with the others Fantastics. He will definitely hear about it! Tony valued his privacy too much to ask for help anywhere (certainly not from those SHIELD losers), so he had dealt with it alone so far. But it was definitely getting annoying.

He arrived in his lab just in time to see the air start to shimmer about a foot above the 'X' he had painted on the floor. At least that part was consistent. No time to put on the armor this time. He put on his earplugs, grabbed his sonic disruptor and placed himself at a safe distance.

"Incoming!" Jarvis warned.

The rift suddenly expanded to a ten foot sphere, Tony felt a warm breeze fill the room as his universe and whatever was on the other side finally connected.

For a moment, nothing happened and he thought that he may get away with it this time.

Bang! Something was expelled through the gate and fell to the floor in front of him. His mind registered the event in a fraction of a second; the thing landed on all fours, there was a long tail, stripped fur... An animal! This should be easy.

"Nets!" Tony shouted.

Poof! The self-guided, rocket propelled net fired, deployed and... missed! The thing was twisting in the air just above the spot it was occupying not a second before!

Jarvis was smart enough not to wait for orders when the situation degenerated. It fired the taser darts at the still moving target.

Again, with blurring speed the target eluded capture and the darts went crackling on the wall not a foot beside Tony's head.

_This is not going well_, he thought. Better hold my breath and release the...

Ooof! He was knocked off his feet before he had a chance to think any further. He found himself pinned on the wall a good foot above the floor by an enormous orange paw.

"Who are you? What is this place?" the thing shouted in a definitely female voice.

_Shit! It talks!_ Tony was running out of options. He was feeling the pinprick of claws trough his shirt and the creature's amber and red eyes looked very pissed off. He activated the sonic disruptor.

Both of them collapsed to the floor as the grip was suddenly released. Tony caught his breath as his visitor laid motionless on the floor, it's eyes wide open and mouth agape. He had been on the receiving end of the disruptor once, he knew exactly how distressing it was to be imprisoned in you own body while that awful noise was drilling your brain.

Behind them, the gateway collapsed with a bang. _Too bad those things only work one-way, I almost had the time! _He did not waste a second and proceeded to drag to body to the restraints he had installed on the wall.

_God! That thing is heavy! __It must possess remarkable muscular density, that would explain the amazing feats he had just witnessed._

He secured the limbs of the creature with adjustable Kevlar cuffs attached to one inch thick titanium chain. There! That should hold the Hulk himself! He did not like at all the idea of having such medieval devices in his home, that was totally uncivilized. But circumstances left him no choice.

He turned off the sonic disruptor...

Bang! The creature lunged at him, straining at the chains.

_Whoa! That's a fast recovery!_ He backed up a little more.

"Release me at once! You do not know who you are dealing with! I am a kung-fu master from the Jade Palace!"

"And I am someone who can make your life miserable!" Tony dangled the disruptor under her nose. "Do you want another taste of this?"

The creature flinched noticeably.

"I thought not. Now you stay calm and quiet while I decide what I am going to do with you"

"How dare you..."

"Hey!" He displayed the device again.

His guest backed up slowly and sat against the wall, its eyes burning with anger.

"That's better." He walked to the other side of the lab, out of earshot.

"Jarvis," said Tony, "have you calculated the parameters of this incursion?"

"Affirmative sir. According to the readings, the wave function will collapse in approximately one week."

"One week! Are you sure this is correct?"

"Yes sir, I took the liberty of doing the calculations several times. The parameters of this incursion are highly unusual."

That made matters a little more complicated. Usually, the beings who had the misfortune of getting caught in the anomaly were in for a stay of a couple of hours at most. He sedated the animals and pushed them through when the time came. Dangerous looking peoples were restrained and disposed of in the same way. A couple have been relatively decent folks and were more than happy to cross back to their worlds after their stay.

But this was different. He could hardly keep his latest visitor chained to a wall for a week. Much less sedate it that long, that would be dangerous. He had no choice but to release it and hope it would be reasonable. Its animalistic aspect was a little unsettling. But then again, Hank McCoy was a pretty decent guy under all that fur.

"Jarvis, I am going to release our guest. If anything goes wrong release the gas."

"I am not sure this is very wise, sir."

"I didn't get that far by being wise! Stay put!"

The thing haven't move from it's spot but it's eyes followed Tony closely as he approached.

" I am going to release you, but you must promise me that you will not hurt me or try anything stupid."

"All right." it said, but the eyes didn't lose any of their hardness.

Tony had an inspiration : "You must swear on your kung-fu honor!"

_There!_ he thought. Let's see how important that kung-fu master thing it mentioned earlier is.

The creature stayed silent but its eyes lost their focus for a moment, as if lost in deep thoughts.

_That's a good sign,_ thought Tony.

"You have my word." it finally said with a sigh.

_Here goes nothing. _Tony pressed the release button.

The creature must have been unsure of his intentions because it rose slowly from the floor, never letting its eyes off him.

"First," said Tony "let me offer you my apologies for this rough welcome. This is not the way I receive my guests usually but your arrival was... a little unexpected. My name is Anthony Stark."

"I am Master Tigress."

"Well, Tigress, welcome to my home!"

"And what is that place exactly? Why did you bring me here?"

From the tone of her voice, Tony guessed that had better be convincing, and fast.

"You are in another universe."

"What? This is nonsense!"

"I know this sounds crazy, but listen carefully. Imagine a house of infinite size with an infinite number or rooms. Each room is a different universe, yours, mine and all the possibilities between and beyond them. Normally, we are not aware of what is happening in the other universes. But in some places, the wall is thin. A crack may appear and you may have a peek of what is on the other side. Sometimes, the wall just collapses. This is what happened here. This place-" he waved around "-is a weak spot. You fell through a crack. You are not the first one."

Tony carefully avoided mentioning his responsibility in the accident. Things were complicated enough already.

Tigress did not look convinced. She crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously.

"Let's suppose for a moment that you are telling the truth-" she said. "How do I get back to my world?"

"The multiverse seeks balance. When a door opens somewhere, it will open again at the same place. The pendulum always swings back."

"You mean that the door or whatever will open again in this very place?"

"Exactly. You just have to wait and jump through!"

"And when would that be precisely?" she asked.

"Ah, hem, that's the annoying part..."

"Tell me now!"

"At least one week."

"One week! You mean I will be imprisoned here for a full week!"

"I case you haven't noticed yet," Tony said calmly "you are no longer my prisoner, but my guest. But let's take a look at the specifics of your arrival here."

Tony typed a command on a nearby keyboard. A holographic projection of the parameters of the gateway materialized in the air before him.

Tigress jumped at the apparition and instantly switched to fight mode. "What is this new devilry?"

"Do not be afraid! This is just light, nothing real. See?" Tony waved his hand trough the projection "This is just a way we use here to display pictures."

Tigress relaxed a little. Tony took good notice of her reaction, for this was also a test. Nobody coming from a world with at least a 20th century technological level would be alarmed by a projection, holographic or not. That meant that Tigress came from a less advanced society; he had to keep that in mind.

"What are you trying to show me?" she said.

"See those lines here? This the time-line of your universe." he said pointing to a blue wave. "This is mine." He pointed to a red wave. "Now look here, you see that they collide. The time-line of your world make a small loop before colliding with mine at the very same spot, which is a good thing."

"How so?" she asked.

"That means that when you will cross back to your universe, not a moment will have passed. You will return at the very moment you have departed and no one will have noticed your absence."

"How is that possible? You said I will stay here one week!"

"I know this hard to understand. But I am afraid that time and space do not care about the limits of our minds; they do as they please. You will have to trust me on that one."

She looked at him suspiciously. "I still do not believe you."

"I thought so." he said. "Now if you would please follow me, I will show you something that should convince you."

He led her through the lab to the elevator. He noticed that her eyes darted back and forth, trying to take in everything at once. The wonders contained in Tony's lab should have been enough to convince anybody, but he decided to play the game.

"This will take us to the roof of the house. You should find the view to be quite interesting."

A moment later, the door opened to the roof. Tony decided to not say a word and observed Tigress as reality sunk in.

She walked to the ledge and started to look around. There was the sea on one side. The immediate surroundings where occupied by the sprawling mansion's estate. A little further, things started to get strange. Huge buildings were filling a good portion of the horizon, shining gold with the setting sun. She had never seen anything of such size and shapes. What seemed to be roads everywhere were devoid of peoples. Instead, strange carts rolled on their own with great speed. Her keen eyes spotted several things flying high above them. They were definitely not birds.

After a while, she turned to Tony.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"Let's go back inside" he said.

Back in the house, Tony tried to be reassuring.

"I know this must be very distressing for you..."

"I am not distressed!" she snapped.

"All right then." he said. "I just wanted to tell you that you are safe here. I will be your host during your stay. I will try to answer you questions and teach you what I can about my world. For now, if you would follow me..."

He led her to one of the guest rooms and opened the door.

"This is where you are going to stay while you're here. I hope it will be adequate. If you need anything, ask Jarvis."

"Jarvis? Who is that?"

"Oh, that reminds me." Tony raised his voice. "Jarvis?"

"Yes sir?"

Tigress jumped and looked around her; nobody in sight. The voice was seemingly coming from everywhere at once.

"I will have a new guest for the week." continued Tony. "Her name is Tigress, give the usual privileges, level 2."

"Very well, sir."

"What was that?" asked Tigress.

"Jarvis is my butler. He is running the house."

"But I don't see anybody, where is he?"

"Nowhere... And everywhere! Jarvis is the house. He is part of it like the floor or the walls"

"Your house is alive?"

Tony laughed. "No! No. Do not worry about that! Things will get clearer as I have more time to explain. I assure you that you are perfectly safe here. Meanwhile, why don't you get comfortable and freshen up a little. Dinner will be served in an hour."

He smiled and walked away.

Tigress looked at the open door, uncertain. She entered.

This place was huge. At first sight, it looked as spacious as the living quarters of all the furious five combined. The far wall seemed to be made entirely of ...glass! Tigress had never seen anything like it. The whole thing was just a huge window. She started to get closer...

There is someone else here!

She jumped and instantly assumed a defensive stance. She came face to face with... herself! It took her several seconds to realize that a good portion of the left wall of the room was a huge mirror. She walked to the wall and pressed a paw against the smooth, cool surface. At home, mirrors were small, hand-held things. She never knew they could be made so big.

She took a couple of steps back and looked at herself. Not bad. She never had a chance to see herself from head to toe. The polished walls of the Hall of Warriors were no match for this. She placed herself in attack position and admired the result. Looking good! She ended up spending the next five minutes sparring with the mirror and checking the accuracy of her moves. If only we had theses in the training hall! That would be, as Po says it... awesome!

She decided to take a look at the rest of the room. The bed was enormous, nothing like the small cot they were used to at the Jade palace. The rest of the room was furnished with a variety of couches, chairs and tables. There were many strange objects with uses she could not fathom for the moment. There was a closet the size of a small room, filled with a variety of weird clothes.

A door was ajar at the other side of the room. She went in. Inside were more mirrors and what looked like a washbasin with a hole in the bottom. That thing in the corner was definitely a bath. She could not find the water pitcher anywhere. How is she supposed to 'refresh' herself then?

Oh, wait. She cleared her throat.

"Hemm... Jarvis?"

"Yes, Miss Tigress?"

She couldn't help to be startled a little. Talking to an invisible, omnipresent person would need getting used to.

"How do I get some water in the basin?"

"Beneath the round mirror you are facing is what is called a faucet. Turning the handle on your right will make cold water flow. The one on the left is for hot water. You can combine both for tepid water. Moving the little rod in the middle will plug or unplug the drain."

Easy enough, thought Tigress. She proceeded to wash the dust of her face and cleaned her paws. A towel from a big pile on a shelf took care of the rest. I could get used to that, she thought. Especially since the bath seemed to work on the same principles. She still felt a little uneasy from such a strange place but a bath would definitely feel good. Maybe later. She needed to clear up one last thing.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, Miss Tigress?"

"What is that big porcelain bowl in the corner with water at the bottom?"

* * *

><p>Next : An Awkward dinner<p> 


	2. Chapter 2 : An awkward dinner

2: An awkward dinner

Tony headed for the dining room after leaving Tigress in her room. When he believed he was out of earshot, he approached one of the numerous control panels scattered about in the mansion.

"Jarvis, I need you to keep an eye on our guest. Warn me of any suspicious activity. Oh, and while your'e at it, cancel the maid, the cook and the gardener for the next week."

"Very well, sir."

"Dinner will be served in an hour!" Tony said, quoting himself. "I sound like a goddamn butler! And that's what I am going to be for the next couple of days! A butler and a babysitter for that... woman-cat-thing!"

"I resent that sir," Intervened Jarvis. "I always believed that you appreciated my butlering and babysitting of you."

"Mute!" spat Tony.

_Well, let's see._ The kung-fu thing and the patterns on Tigress's vest were definitely Chinese. So he called his favorite Szechuan restaurant and ordered half the menu.

Now with the hard part. He dialed his phone.

She answered at the first ring.

"Yes?"

"Pepper honey, this is Tony! How's my favorite CEO?"

"It's about time I heard from you! I thought you were dead!"

"Straight to the point aren't you? Well, I love you too!"

"All right," she mellowed a little. "When can we see each other?"

"Soon, I promise. But I am afraid that the mansion will be off limits for a while."

"Still messed up from your experiments?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm afraid I'll have to make myself scarce for a while until everything is back to normal, save for public appearances of course!"

"You could not live without the fame, could you?"

"If I could, I would not be Tony Stark. And if I wasn't Tony Stark, you would not love me, would you?"

"You've found me out, I've always been after your money!" she laughed.

"Well now that we made that point clear, I look forward to be with you. I'll try to free myself as soon as possible."

"See you later then. I love you.

"I love you too."

He hung up. Well, that went better than expected. Pepper was getting used to his quirks, for dating the Iron Man was far from being boring business.

He spent some time cancelling most of his appointments for the week and was answering his mail when the door rang.

The door camera showed him a delivery guy with only the cap showing atop a pile of boxes. He opened the door.

"Good evening Mr. Stark" the cap said.

"Evening, Mike. Please come in, please put it there."

"Quite a snack you have tonight!" Mike said.

"Yeah, I wanted variety!" Tony handed him a pile of bills.

Mike knew better than to insult him by giving back his change.

"Always a pleasure Mr. Stark! See you soon!"

_Maybe sooner than you think!_

"Goodbye!"

Tony carried all the food to the dining room and transferred it to china dishes. _No trans-dimensional visitor of mine is going to eat from cardboard boxes!_

"It is a big house you have Anthony Stark." Tony jumped, he hadn't heard her coming at all! "I had to follow the smell to find the dining room."

"Tigress! Well, now that you are here please sit!" he said, gesturing toward the table.

Tigress took a seat, her back straight as a board.

"I am not aware if your peoples have any tradition related to a formal dinner, so I invite you to eat when you are ready."

Tigress did not say a word but started selecting food from various plates, her paw handling the chopsticks with remarkable dexterity.

"Sooooo... tell me a little about yourself Tigress, are there many like you in your universe?"

"What do you mean, like me?"

"I have never seen anybody quite like you before, are you a mutant?"

"A what? What does that mean?" Tigress said, sounding a little irritated.

"Do the peoples of your world consider you to be different or... abnormal?"

"That does it!" she slapped the chopsticks on the table, "are you not content to hold me here you also insult me? You think I will tolerate that any longer?"

"Please! Please! I mean no disrespect, I am just trying to figure out how our respective universes are related to each other." _Better be careful around that one! I don't want to find out how far that kung-fu oath will protect me!_

"Let me ask this another way. Have you ever seen anybody like me in your world?"

She stared at him for a moment. Tony couldn't decide if those burning eyes expressed anger or contempt.

"I have never seen a creature of your kind before." she said more calmly. "You bear some resemblance to my friend Monkey but not much."

_A monkey! Who insulted now? _he thought.

"Didn't you find it odd to meet a strange creature like me?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," she said while finally picking up her chopsticks again. "But I choose not to mention it, because it would have been rude!"

"All right!" he laughed. "I stand corrected! You must understand that in this world is entirely populated with peoples of my specie. Those who differ too much physically from us are generally feared, even hated."

"Those 'mutants' you were talking about?" she asked.

"Indeed. I am afraid that will have to stay within my estate during you stay, for your own security."

"I can defend myself."

"Oh, I've seen that! But we have weapons here that you cannot imagine. I guess I will show you in time."

They ate in silence for a moment.

"Tell me," Tony said, "how did you come upon the portal that brought you here? Were you trapped while investigating it?"

Tigress paused between bites of tofu.

"Me and my friends were out for a stroll. We thought that climbing the Wu Dan mountains and practising our forms on top would be a good training. I was a little ahead of the others and I was waiting for them to catch up. I heard a strange noise and when I turned around everything started spinning. I couldn't get a hold on anything and I felt myself falling. The rest you know as well as I do."

"As I told you, you are not the first visitor to land here. Some of them have been quite unpleasant, that's why I had to install countermeasures. I am prepared now."

"I've seen that."

"Sorry again about that."

"Now it is time for you to tell me who you are Anthony Stark. I think you owe it to me."

"Indeed. I am an inventor and a weapon maker, like my father was before me. I never cared who bought my weapons nor what they did with it. That made me very rich." he said with a wry smile.

"Then one day, someone decided he didn't need me anymore and used my own weapons against me. I did not die, but I was crippled severely." He paused a moment, then started to unbutton the top of his shirt. "I had to invent that device and install it in my body to keep my heart beating." He exposed the ARC reactor embedded in his chest.

He could see that Tigress was disturbed by the sight, she was not the first one, so he buttoned back his shirt.

"Anyway, that opened my eyes on many things and from then on I stopped making weapons and tried to use my resources to make things a little better whenever I could."

By the time diner was over, Tony managed to pry a little more information from Tigress. She apparently was part of an elite group of warriors called the Furious Five plus a guy called the Dragon Warrior who was a panda. A panda! Tony couldn't imagine that big fluffy, cuddly critter doing kung-fu. That must be quite a sight.

He took her for a tour of the estate when they were done. He couldn't resist showing off a little, but mainly he thought that it would help her feel less of a prisoner. The helipad and the tennis courts required a little explanation, but mainly she was fascinated by the pool.

"Where are the carps?" she asked, scrutinizing the water.

"Uh, this is not for fishes. This is a swimming pool, for swimming, you see?"

"You mean you had that thing built for the sole purpose of getting wet?"

"Well, yes. My peoples are fond of frolicking in water. Don't you do that in your world?"

"Yes, but we have rivers and lakes for that!" she said in a haughty tone that was quickly becoming familiar.

"If you can't go to the lake, bring the lake to you!" he said defiantly.

"You peoples are weird." She walked toward the house. "If you excuse me, I will now retire for the night."

"Let me..." he started.

"I know the way!"

_Phew! That's going to be a long week!_ He watched her as she walked away. _Hum, that swinging tail is really mesmerizing!_

* * *

><p>Next : A day of learning<p> 


	3. Chapter 3 : A day of learning

3: A day of learning

That morning, Tony got up even earlier than usual to keep an eye on his guest. The night had been uneventful and Jarvis reported that she hadn't left her room.

He went to the kitchen and tried to set up breakfast. He hoped she liked scrambles eggs because that alone already pushed the limits of his culinary skills.

As he hoped, the smell brought her out of hiding.

"Good morning Tigress! Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, thank you," She said coldly. She didn't find it necessary to tell him that she spent half the night staring at the sea through the window. Once she was alone in her room in the evening, the reality of the situation finally struck her with full force. She was in another universe, totally alone. She was the virtual prisoner of a strange man she didn't trust. And all the kung-fu in the world could not make any difference. That big house was strangely silent. There was no chirping of insects, no creaking boards. Even Po's snoring would have been welcome. She had to force herself to sleep because she needed her strength. _No, Anthony Stark. I did not sleep well_.

Tony didn't let her attitude spoil his mood. "Today is a new day in a new world for you. I intend to show you all I can about my universe so your stay can be tolerable, even enjoyable!"

"I doubt it," she said.

"There you go again! Cheer up or it's going to be a long week!" He poured some eggs into her plate. "Eat up! A big cat like you must need some nourishment!"

She threw him a mean look but started to eat nevertheless. Tony watched her discreetly while he made plans on how to keep her busy for the day.

"Let's get started," Tony said when they were done "I need to show you how things works in my world, so you won't have any unpleasant surprise or think we're dealing in black magic or something."

"You are telling me there is no magic involved in anything I have seen so far?" Tigress asked.

"Nope. Plain old science, just more advanced than what you are used to. Magic is just fantasy, really," said Tony. He knew a certain Sorcerer Supreme who would disagree, but he did not want to get into that.

Tony walked her trough the mansion and spent the morning explaining and demonstrating the technologies that the 21st century was made of. As he expected, Tigress was impressed by television, computers and telecommunications as a whole. She caught on pretty quick and he was certain that before long she would be functioning very well in this new environment. Surprisingly, she seemed as much interested in the more mundane aspects of modern life. Light switches, running water and air conditioning made quite an impression. She was especially interested in the gas stove of the kitchen, spending a while turning it on and off and admiring the instant fire.

"Po would really like this thing," she said.

"Po... that's the panda, right?" said Tony.

"Yes. He's a great cook. Sometimes he makes us breakfast, but he has to get up early to start a fire. I know he would rather sleep"

Those words were a revelation for Tony. He was quite a high-tech guy; you could not get him interested in anything less than nuclear fusion, artificial intelligence or rocketry. But what had really changed the life of everybody were the simple things found in a modern home. To lots of peoples, he must look like a spoiled child with too many toys. That was a humbling thought.

_Better take a break from the teaching stuff, _he thought.

"Tigress, would you care for a game of tennis?"

Ten minutes later, he was on the court explaining her the basics of the game.

Tony wasn't a bad player himself, but he considered himself lucky that Tigress was a total beginner. Her speed was amazing. Only his best feints could get the ball past her. He had to stop the game to explain her a second time that the goal wasn't to knock your adversary unconscious with the ball. He started wondering if she wasn't doing it on purpose; he was going to sport bruises for days.

Tigress seemed tireless but after a while Tony had enough. He proposed that they cooled off with a drink in the living room.

Tony installed himself behind the bar. "What will it be Tigress? Name it and I'll shake it!"

"Water will be fine, thank you."

"Come on!" he said "I am offering you the chance to sample the best drinks my universe have to offer and you want water? I can make you a colorful one with a tiny umbrella in it!"

"Just water."

Tony made a gin tonic for himself and brought Tigress her water.

"Here, party pooper!" he said sitting besides her on the couch. "Be careful not to enjoy it!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively.

"I mean that you can relax once in a while, this is not a contest, nobody is watching us.

"Discipline and restraint are the core of a kung-fu master's life. You cannot understand."

Tony studied her feline profile for a moment, wondering about the thoughts going on behind those great amber eyes.

"Well, your loss." He took a sip. "Let's watch TV for a moment, maybe we'll see some cousins of yours on the Discovery channel."

He zapped for a moment until Tigress displayed interest about some soap episode, unexpectedly.

Tony was starting to relax, letting his mind wandering about when...

"Ouch! Awwww! What the hell!" Tigress had grabbed his left arm in a vise-like grip, just short of cracking his bones. "Let me go!"

"You will stop this immediately, Anthony Stark!"

"Stop what? Ow!"

"You were running your fingers in the fur of my head, scratching. What do you think you were doing?"

_Oh crap! _The sudden realization of what happened dawned upon Tony.

"I'm truly sorry. I was distracted and for a moment, I thought I was sitting with uh, you know, a regular cat and..."

"You mean you were _petting_ me?" she said indignantly.

"Yeah, I'm afraid that's exactly what I was doing. I meant no disrespect, just an old habit you see..."

"In the future, you will restrain yourself from such familiarity!" She finally let go of his arm.

"Ouch dammit! You promised not to hurt me!"

"Don't be a wimp! That could not have hurt you!" Tigress said. She repressed a grin. Well, maybe she squeezed a little harder than necessary. It somehow relieved her stress a little, like when she pelted him with those tennis balls...

"I beg to differ!" He rubbed his arm "What do you do with theses paws as training? Crush rocks? Bend steel?"

"Well," she started "as a matter of fact, I…"

"Sorry to interrupt," Jarvis's voice cutted in "but I must remind Mister Stark that he has a video conference with shareholders in three minutes."

"Damn! I had forgotten about that! There!" He shoved the remote in her paw "Have fun, I should be back shortly."

Tigress watched him walk away, then looked at the remote. She had observed him using it, when he thought she wasn't looking, and a pretty good idea how it worked. She had to use the tip of her claws, tough, for the thing was made for human hands only. After a couple of minutes of zapping, she came upon something very interesting...

Half a hour later, Tony came back.

"I was wondering," he said, "do you want Szechuan again for dinner or would you try something else?"

She ignored him and got up from the couch.

"I saw you on your picture machine," she said, wiggling the remote.

"Well, that happens a lot, I'm quite famous you know…"

"There was a panel of peoples talking about you. They called you the 'Iron Man' and made quite a fuss about it." She lifted an interrogative brow.

"Oh, that. There is still a couple of things I haven't explained about what I do in my spare time…"

"One of them called you a narcissic womanizer…" She crossed her arms with a smirk. She was beginning to enjoy this.

"Wait! You must not believe everything you see on…"

"Incoming call!" Jarvis interrupted. "I believe this is an emergency."

_Phew! I owe you one, Jarvis!_ "Put it through here."

"Mr Stark? This is Commissioner Hastings."

"How is it doing, Commissioner?"

"Not very well I'm afraid. We have a bit of a situation here. Some robbers broke into a warehouse on Baker Street. The personnel got away but the robbers locked themselves in when our forces arrived. We are afraid that a confrontation could turn very ugly."

"I get the picture Commissioner. I can handle this"

"See you there then, and thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Well," he said turning to Tigress "I guess this time is as good as any. You wanted to know who to Iron Man is? Let me makes the presentations."

* * *

><p>Next : The Ironman<p> 


	4. Chapter 4 : The Iron Man

4: The Iron man

Tony led Tigress to a part of the laboratory she hadn't seen yet. Strange armor-looking things were lined up in alcoves, a little like in the Hall of Warriors. A kind of platform occupied most of the floor space.

"Now," said Tony, "witness my greatest creation."

He removed his shoes and climbed on the platform.

"Jarvis," he said, "dress me up!"

The floor and the ceiling suddenly exploded in a forest or metallic arms around him. With an efficiency betraying countless hours of of practice and refinement, the machines fitted him with the pieces of his armor. Beside him, Tigress had backed up to the wall, flabbergasted. That's exactly the effect Tony had hoped for.

He smiled at her "Cool, uh?"

A moment later he stepped down and walked to Tigress in a whirring of servomotors.

"If you will excuse me, I now have some butts to kick. I promise I will explain everything when I'm back. See ya."

His visor clamped down and he took off with a blast of his repulsors.

Tigress stood motionless for a moment, still trying to make sense of what just happened. She had an idea:

"Jarvis, where did he go?"

"Mr. Stark is presently in transit toward 42 Baker Street." Jarvis's always calm voice responded "I have access to various live feeds from news channel and from the on-board camera of the armor, would you like to see them?"

"I don't understand a word of what you're saying…" Tigress said. "Wait! Do you mean I can see what he is doing right now?"

"That is correct, Miss Tigress."

"Show me," she said.

Half a dozen screens lit up on the wall. There were different views of a building surrounded by armed men. A cracking sound was heard from time to time. Tigress understood it was firearms because she had seen them earlier on TV. One screen was showing a fast-moving view of the city from above, and Tigress suddenly realized she was seeing what Tony was seeing.

He landed in front of the building with a boom, cracking the sidewalk. Immediately, the gunfire intensified and Tigress could see sparks flying of the armor. That did not slow him at all and he walked to the steel door and kicked it off its hinges. Once inside, half a dozen men started firing at him at close range. Immediately, he knocked two of them off their feet with what looked like a blast of light coming from his hands. Tony had said there was no magic in this world, he would need to explain that. Two others men ran away at once but the others did not have that luck. Tony punched one across the room and the other was thrown straight through a wall. The two men left climbed into a vehicle parked inside but before they had time to move Tony grabbed it and overturned it with a crash. The passengers offered little resistance after he ripped off the doors and bent their weapons in half. The whole thing must have lasted barely more than a minute.

He got out of the building under the applause of the policemen and bystanders. He made a V sign with his hand and then took off.

Ten minutes later Tony was back at the Stark mansion. Tigress stood beside the platform as he had the armor removed.

"Did you see that?" he asked as he stepped down.

"I have indeed. This is a remarkable armor you have here," she said.

"Yup. Let's get another drink, and I'll tell you everything."

For the next hour he told her the genesis of the Iron Man: his captivity at the hand of the Ten rings, his escape, the new armor and the betrayal of Obadiah, Vanko... He did not neglect any detail and Tigress listened carefully all along. It was the first time that he had told his story to anybody like that. He felt strangely relieved afterwards.

"So that's it," he concluded "My armor is my greatest achievement and I'm trying to use it for good."

Tigress looked at him for a moment.

"You surprise me Anthony Stark. I misjudged you. It seems that you are as much a warrior as I am." For the first time, Tony perceived genuine friendliness in her voice.

"Please, call me Tony."

They finally settled for sushi that evening and Tony decided Tigress was ready for a showing of The Lord of the Rings. She found the film fascinating, but Tony had to do some explaining to finally convince her that it was not based on real events.

Later that night, when Tigress was finally alone in her room, she decided to meditate a little before sleeping. She had never been good at this, her impatient and passionate nature left little place to relaxation. But Shifu considered meditation to be an essential part of a kung-fu master life, so Tigress felt it was her duty to persevere. Besides, being thrown in another universe and exposed to all sorts of weird things could be perceived by some to be a stressful situation, so maybe it would do her good. She sat on her bed and began her breathing exercises, clearing her mind. The world started to fade around her.

She must have fallen asleep. This not how it is supposed to be. Instead of a calm nothingness she found herself walking the streets of a village. It somehow looked familiar and foreign at the same time. She looked up and saw a very long flight of stairs, and at the top of it... could it be the Jade Palace? But that's impossible! She is trapped in another universe. Or was she? Everything seems so confused. She started to run toward the palace.

She did not remember the village being so big, the palace did not seem any closer after running for a while. Didn't she just cross that street? They all looked the same. Where are the peoples? She looked up... the palace was gone! No, wait... it was behind her now. She started going the other way. She couldn't tell how long she had been running, but she was still going nowhere. She slowed down. She knew confusedly that she is supposed to be somewhere else, but where...

"Are you lost, child?"

Tigress stopped. An old pig was talking to her. He was the first person she saw here, and she was sure she crossed that street before.

"Yes, master pig. I want to go to the Jade Palace but just can't reach it," she said.

"Are you sure that is where you want to be?" the pig asked.

"What? Yes, of course! I have the feeling that I was very far away not long ago... But now I am here, I want to go home!" Tigress said.

"And where were you before, if I may ask?"

"I was in a strange place, another world... But it feel like a dream... I am not sure anymore." Tigress looked at the faraway Palace, uncertain.

"Perhaps you can't go home because you are not done yet in that place," the pig said as he started walking away.

"But done doing what? I'm not supposed to be there; it was an accident!"

"There are no accidents," The old pig said over his shoulder "Find the reason and you will find the way." He turned the corner.

Tigress stood speechless for a second. "Wait!" she called, running after him. She reached the corner. He was gone. "Master Oogway! Is that you?" she called again. No answer.

She looked around but everything started to fade. She felt like falling and she suddenly found herself sitting on her bed, her claws grabbing the sheets and her heart pounding.

She had the feeling she would not get much sleep tonight.

* * *

><p>Next : Sparring<p> 


	5. Chapter 5 : Sparring

5: Sparring

That morning, Tigress arrived late for breakfast. Tony didn't dare disturb her, last thing he needed was a cranky tiger loose in the house. He was going through his emails when she finally showed up.

"Good morning, Tigress!"

"Good morning Anth… uh.. Tony!"

He laughed at her hesitation "Good thing you dropped the formalities, that was getting awkward! Tell me, is everything all right?"

"Uh…Yes, why do you ask?"

"I expected you earlier," Tony said.

"Ah! Hum, I had some things to think about... personal matters." She sounded a little embarrassed.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"No, thank you everything is fine, I assure you," she said.

"Very well then. There's breakfast in the kitchen, if you're interested."

Tigress wasn't really hungry, but she needed some distraction. She was still shaken by last night's vision. She had to find the true meaning of all this. Master Oogway believed in the value of visions. And if it was really him last night, there must be a reason.

"Ahem, Tigress?" Tony said.

She almost jumped_. I hope he haven't caught me daydreaming_, she thought. "Yes, Tony?"

"I have to go out this morning. I must go downtown to, um… pick up some power converters. Can I trust you to stay within the estate's limits, if you see what I mean?"

"Do I have a choice?" she asked.

"Well… No. But look," he walked up to her, "tonight, we go out. Discreetly, of course, but I promise to take you out to visit the city. What do you think?"

"I believe I can survive on my own for a couple of hours," she answered, smiling.

"Good girl! See you later!" Tony picked up his briefcase and headed out.

Tigress didn't mind being alone for a while; she could use the time to meditate on her vision. She decided to go out in the courtyard and practice her forms; that usually helped clear her mind.

For a while, she was completely absorbed in her training. Jump. Punch. Kick. She had repeated the exercises so often over the years that they were now part of her nervous system, like new reflexes. The moves smoothly blended in each others, like a fight with an invisible opponent.

After an hour or so, she felt more relaxed. As if that familiar activity brought back some normality in her situation. The sun had been shining hard for a while and she felt quite hot. Maybe that swimming pool thing is not a bad idea after all. Perhaps she could try it while she was alone, just a little.

...

Tony was driving back home wondering if he should have left Tigress on her own. He had sneaked out on a false pretence to go see Pepper at the Stark building. She was pleasantly surprised and even found time in her busy schedule for a make out session in the office closet. Time flew and now he was eager to get back at the mansion. He was just a couple of minutes away when his phone rang.

"Sir, this is Jarvis. I must inform you that Colonel Rhodes just entered the estate."

"Shit! What the hell is he doing there?" said Tony.

"I do not know sir. But I remind you that you have given Colonel Rhodes full access to the mansion."

"Dammit!" Tony cursed again "I just knew something like that would happen. Jarvis, keep an eye on Rhodes, I'm coming back as fast as I can." He hung up.

A moment later, Tony jumped out of his car and ran into the house.

"By the pool, sir." said Jarvis before he had time to ask "You almost arrived on time."

He ran outside to the pool and immediately understood the 'almost' part.

Tigress was standing by the pool, wearing a bathrobe. There was a body at her feet.

Tony's eyes went nonstop from James Rhodes's sprawled form to Tigress's smug face.

"Bad kitty! Bad!" he finally blurted.

"That man attacked me," Tigress said.

"What have you done to him? That's my friend James!"

"How was I supposed to know? He pointed that thing at me. I know it is a weapon." She handed him Rhodes's ordnance weapon, twisted out of shape.

"Ah crap! James! James! Wake up!" Tony started slapping him lightly.

Rhodes mumbled some incoherent words. Tony dragged him closer to the pool and splashed his face. Rhodes coughed, his eyes opened and suddenly went wide.

"Tony!" he shouted "Behind you!"

"Relax! She's with me!" Tony said while pulling him in a sitting position.

"And who's she exactly?" asked Rhodes. He rubbed the back of his head, his eyes still fixated on the strange creature.

"This is Tigress, kung-fu master from another dimension." Tony said.

"I must have been hit harder than I thought, for what you said make no sense at all!" said Rhodes, carefully rising to a standing position.

Tony laughed. "Better come sit inside; it's a long story."

"I'll be drying myself in my room, if you need me." said Tigress.

In the living room, Rhodes dropped onto a couch. "That's the second time someone beat the crap out of me when I came here. I am beginning to think you are trying to send me a message!"

"That's a coincidence! You know you are always welcome here. What did you came for anyway?"

"I wanted to give you the test results of your last modifications to the War Machine suit. Here." He dropped an usb key in Tony's lap. "I didn't see anybody but I heard splashing outside, so I went to have a look. Next thing I know that thing is lunging at me. I barely had time to pull out my gun."

"I believe you were lucky to get away in one piece!" Tony said.

"Sweet. Now tell me, who is that?"

If Tony ever trusted someone, it was Rhodes. So he told him the whole story from the beginning.

"So, Reed Richards is nowhere to be found?" Rhodes asked.

"Nope. As soon as Tigress is gone I'm going to do my own experiments. Multidimensional physics is not my forte, but I got to seal that rift before something really nasty gets through."

Rhodes looked at his now ruined handgun. "Speaking of nasty... how is she, Tigress?"

"A little rough around the edges, but I suppose that being thrown in another universe can make you a little cranky. But she is truly remarkable person. I wish I knew more about her world"

"She was swimming naked, you know." Rhodes said, grinning.

"Really?" Tony said, interested "Must have been quite a sight."

"For two seconds, yes. Then all went black!" Rhodes said, laughing. "Wait! What does Pepper think of that?"

Tony did not answer, but the expression on his face did.

"No shit! You did not tell her?" Rhodes asked.

"You know women! She will never believe that Tigress is here by accident. Even if she says she does, everything I will do afterwards will be suspicious to her. No, better let everything follow its course and keep it quiet. Can I count on you about that?"

"Sure thing pal. Just don't do anything stupid." Rhodes said, eyeing Tony.

"What? Hey! No way! Who do you think I am?"

"Tony Stark," Rhodes said.

"That's the old me. I changed, you know that," Tony said indignantly.

"Yes, I know. Just kidding." Rhodes got off the couch. "I think I'll be going. Say goodbye to your guest for me."

Tony walked Rhodes to the door then went to Tigress's room. He knocked on the door lightly.

"Tigress, may I come in?"

"Yes, go ahead," she said.

Tigress was sitting on her bed, dressed-up. "I want to apologize about your friend," she said as he entered. "I may have overreacted a little."

"It's all right," Tony said. "There's no hard feelings. James is used to weird things just by being around me."

"Still," she continued, "I feel like I lost control for a moment. That should not happen to a kung-fu master. I guess I'm feeling a bit restless; I miss my usual training."

"I wish I could help you with that, but I'm afraid that the kind of equipment I have in my gym would be inadequate," Tony said.

"And from I have seen earlier," Tigress said smiling "you would not survive a sparring session with me!"

"I hate to admit it, but I know it's probably true," Tony said. "By the way, who are you sparring with normally?"

"The others Furious Five are more than capable of holding their ground against me, at least for a while. But my favourite partner is Po. He can take quite a punishment without problems, and he's always eager to fight with me."

"He always coming back for more?" asked Tony.

"Always."

"Must be love," said Tony with a wink.

"Don't be ridiculous!" said Tigress, looking down.

If it wasn't for that fur, Tony could have sworn that she blushed.

"Wait!" Tony said. "I have an idea. It seems that you will do some sparring after all!"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Let's say I have something that can take a lot of punishment!" Tony said. "Follow me!"

Tony led her to the small gym a floor below. Most of the space was occupied by the boxing ring he used sometime to train with Hogan, with a couple of training machines scattered around.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." Tony said, heading for the lab.

Tigress examined one of the machines. Iron weights, pulleys, cables. It was easy to guest theses were used for some kind of exercises. But the weights were ridiculously small. She grabbed one handle and lifted the whole set easily, even tilting the machine itself. Now, that handle looked very frail. She was about to try if she could bend it in half when Tony came back.

"Here!" he said, dropping a red and silver box on the floor "I brought my portable armor. It's lighter and more flexible, it should do just fine."

"Just how many of these armors do you have?" asked Tigress.

"A gentleman must have a suit for every occasion! Now if you will excuse me..." Tony activated the suitcase armor and a moment later it had unfolded over his body.

"Now," Tony said "I don't know much kung-fu, but I can certainly throw a few punches. Don't restrain yourself, I don't risk anything. Just don't hurt your hands hitting me."

"Don't worry about my hands, Tony," Tigress said, a mischievous smile forming on her lips. "Ready?"

"Bring it on!" Tony said.

The next few seconds were very confusing for Tony. He felt only a storm of punches that pushed him backward until he fell on his back.

"Are you all right?" he heard Tigress ask, somewhere above him.

"Of course! You just surprised me a little." Tony got on his feet as fast as he could. "Let's try again!"

This time, he did manage to block a few punches. But Tigress was moving so fast around him that he could not possibly follow her. Next thing he knew, his legs were swept beneath him and he fell again with a crash.

He got up again. Time to change strategy. This time, he attacked first. He threw punches at Tigress as fast as he could. She blocked them all but she staggered under the force of the blows, obviously caught off guard. That did not last. She somehow managed to work her way close enough to deliver a tremendous punch to his chest that sent him flying back several feet. He had to react fast. He tried frantically to locate her before she was to close. There! She was almost on top of him! He raised his hands and...

FOOOM! The repulsors blast hit Tigress full force and sent her straight through the wall.

_Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!_ Tony was devastated. His fighting reflexes had taken over before he had time to think. He ran to the gaping hole in the wall.

"Tigress! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do this!" He peered through the hole. Rubble everywhere, no sign of her. _Wait that cannot be..._ He turned around just in time to receive a tremendous kick in the chest. He flew backward and hit the wall with almost enough force to make in own hole. Before his feet had touched the floor, Tigress had grabbed his arm and sent him flying. Tony hit the ceiling with a bang before falling through the floor of the boxing ring in a rain of debris.

Tigress wondered if she had gone too far. But after all, it's him who insisted that she did not restrain herself. "Tony, are you still with me?" she asked.

A voice emerged from the wreckage.

"Do you have enough already? I can keep at it all day!"

Tigress smiled. "I think that will be enough for a first time." She climbed on the ring and helped him of the mess.

"I must confess that you impressed me, Tigress." Tony said, still staggering a little "Nobody ever lasted that long against me without weapons."

"You rely too much on the strength and the feeling of invulnerability you get from that armor." Tigress said. "Someone who is fast enough could stay out of your reach and do some damages."

"Can't argue with that now. I guess it's something I'll have to work on."

"I could teach you some moves. That would definitely give you an edge in that kind of fight."

"Really? That would be great! Few peoples have the opportunity to be trained by a kung-fu master from another world!"

Tigress had a tight smile. "Don't expect me to go easy on you. The path of kung-fu is a painful one."

"I expected nothing less," Tony said. "Let's start!"

She did not go easy on him. Oh no. Armor or not, at the end of the day Tony felt like his whole body had been tenderized. And the gym was in ruins. But it was worth it, for he had learned a couple of tricks that would definitely make him a better fighter. He learned how to anticipate the moves of his adversary, to block punches and to use his strength efficiently, which he believed must be the essence of kung-fu.

"I think that's enough for today." Tony finally said. "Let's clean ourselves up before we go!"

"Go where?" asked Tigress.

"Have you forgotten? I promised to take you out tonight. I always keep my promises with a lady!"

* * *

><p>Next : A night out<p> 


	6. Chapter 6 : A night out

6: A night out

When he was done showering, Tony called Happy Hogan and asked to bring the limo in for a confidential guest. In their own lingo, that meant bring the car to the garage, go take a five minutes break, then come back when the guest is already in the car. Discretion assured. That and tinted windows had already prevented a couple of scandals.

Once the limo arrived at the front door, Tony went to get Tigress.

"Are you ready for your big night?" Tony asked, as he entered her room.

"I am still not sure of what you mean by this," Tigress said.

"Simple. We get in my car and my chauffeur will drive us around the city. You will get a first hand view of what you have only seen on television so far," he explained.

"In your car? You mean those metal boxes that are going so fast on the roads of your world?" Her tone was getting definitely less enthusiastic.

"The same," Tony said. "But don't worry, they are completely safe. We use them all the time."

Tigress still looked uncertain.

"So, are you coming or do I have to drag you by the tail?" he asked.

"You wouldn't dare!" she said, walking out.

Tony led her to the black limousine parked outside. He gestured toward the open door:

"Go ahead; it's very comfortable, I assure you."

Tigress hesitated a second, contemplating the dark interior with a suspicious eye. She finally went in and installed herself awkwardly on the seat.

Tony sat beside her and fast-dialled on his phone. "We're ready," he said, then hung-up. A minute later Hogan was sitting at the wheel and the limo was driving past the mansion's gates. Before long they were speeding smoothly on the highway.

Tony had been watching Tigress discreetly for a while and tried to reassure her.

"I understand that your first time in a car can be a little unnerving," Tony said. "But my friend Harold is a very good driver, you need not be afraid."

"I'm not..." Tigress started. She followed Tony's gaze to her paws. Her claws were firmly planted in the leather seats.

"Oh... Well, maybe I'm little nervous," she said, "but not afraid!"

"Of course not!" Tony said laughing. "I have an idea, let's get something to eat before we start. We'll go to a restaurant where we can get food served at the car."

"You can get food without even getting out?" Tigress asked. "That sounds a little lazy."

"It is! Here, people's lives often revolve around their vehicle. If I told you everything I have done in that car, you wouldn't believe me!"

"Such as?" she asked.

Tony patted her knee. "Believe me dear, you don't want to know!"

"Oh." Tigress didn't insist.

Using the car intercom, Tony asked Hogan to drive to Big Kahuna so they could pick up a couple of burgers at the drive-thru.

A little later, Tony was happily munching on his burger when he suddenly realized that Tigress had been quite silent for a while.

"Tigress, is everything alright?" he asked.

"I think I miss Po's cooking," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Those little sticks aren't bad," she said holding a fry. "But this," she held the burger, her whiskers curling with disgust, "is truly foul! Are you playing a joke on me, Tony?"

Tony stared at her for a second, then burst into laughter.

"You are right! It's my fault. You see, fast food represents the pinnacle of degeneracy in American cuisine. It takes years of habit and decadence to truly appreciate that stuff in all its holy greasiness. I should have known that you palate was still unspoiled. Let me fix that."

A call and a few moments later, the vile burger had been replaced by a tuna salad that seemed to be more of Tigress's taste.

Later, Tony asked Hogan to drive them slowly through the downtown streets. He then sat back and observed Tigress's reactions.

"This is madness," she finally said after a while.

"How so?" asked Tony. That was not what he expected.

"All the peoples, all these machines. There are so many of them. Do they really know where they are going? And those signs everywhere. They're on the walls, on the machines and even on the peoples. What is the meaning of this?"

Tony wished he could have laughed out loud. But he understood very well how all of this could look in the eyes of a stranger.

"This is called 'publicity'. It's all about businesses trying to sell their products. The problem is after a while, people get so used to seeing it everywhere that they have to hammer it harder and harder for anybody to notice it. What you see is the result of years and years of wrestling between peoples and businesses. I guess it's like the burger; you get used to it."

Tigress pondered that for a while. "Tony," she finally said, "as much as I appreciate your hospitality, I hope I will never stay here long enough to get used to this. Especially that burger thing!"

Once they were done driving downtown, Tony just couldn't resist asking Hogan to take them to the Stark building. Once they were parked across the street, he did his little bragging.

"Tigress, you see that big tower over there? It's mine. It's where my company is doing its business."

She looked at the building across the street. No matter how much she craned her neck, she couldn't see the top of it.

"All this is yours?" she asked incredulously.

"Yup. And that's just the head office. There are also warehouses and factories. In several countries."

Tigress stared at Tony with an expression that he could only interpret as awe. _Mission accomplished_, he thought.

"I think you hid something from me," she said. "Surely you must be a lord or a king. For nobody else could possess such wealth."

Tony laughed. "I assure you there is nothing kingly about me! In this world, it is not uncommon for business men to be far richer or more powerful than king or presidents. But I admit that few use that power for good."

"And you are one of the benevolent ones?" asked Tigress with a mocking smile.

"Haven't always been. But I try. Any doubts?" Tony asked.

"Just kidding. I believe you," she said.

"Thanks. It really matters to me. How's your ride so far?"

"Fascinating. I'm happy to see the world outside your estate, even if it's through this," Tigress said, tapping the tinted window with a claw.

"I understand," Tony said. "A golden cage is still a cage, isn't?"

"I would not have said it that way, but it is an accurate description."

"I got an idea," Tony said after a moment. "There's a big park on the mountain overlooking the city. At this hour, it's empty. I'm sure we can sneak in for a little stroll in the woods. What do you think?"

Tigress's face lighted up. "I would really like that," she said.

"At your service, my lady!" Tony gave the order and ten minutes later the limo was pulling to a stop in a discrete corner of the park. Hogan was very good at finding that kind of spot.

"Happy, why don't you take a walk?" Tony said in the intercom. That was another one of their codes, meaning a passenger needed to get out.

Tony waited till Hogan was at a good distance then opened the door.

"Here you go," he said. "Stretch your legs and get some fresh air."

"You are not coming with me?" asked Tigress.

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised from our little sparring," Tony said laughing. "I think I'll rest here for a while. See you later."

Tigress walked to the trail that led to the top of the mountain. She had noticed that Tony's peoples were bipedal, so she waited until she was out of sight before dropping on all fours. Somehow, she didn't want to look even stranger to him. She increased her pace until she felt the wind on her face. She ran up the deserted trail as fast as she could, unleashing her pent-up energy for the first time in days. She left the trail and jumped on trees and rocks, letting the cool air fill her lungs. As comfortable as Tony's mansion was, she now realizing how confining it was. Before long, she arrived on a terrace at the very top on the mountain. There were a couple of benches and a railing near the edge, obviously an observation area for visitors.

The whole city was lying before her, sprawling in every direction. All those huge buildings she had seen before from the ground were illuminated. Lights, everywhere. That world truly contained wonders. She never thought that such city could exist. She was fascinated by the sheer complexity of it. All these tiny lights in the streets, each one a car, and all of them flowing along like blood in the veins of a gigantic creature. And the skies, they were never empty. She could no longer see the stars, but there was movement everywhere. Flying machines, buzzing around like fireflies. Maybe Tony could take her in one of these also?

A voice from behind made her jump. "Well, what do we have here!"

...

Back in the car, Tony couldn't resist checking his emails and had been doing that for a while when a feeling of uneasiness started to creep in. Maybe he should not have let Tigress outside alone. True, she is more than capable of taking care of herself. But the incident with Rhodes was still in the back of his mind. What if someone sees her? With the anti-mutant sentiment still strong in some part of the population, that could get nasty.

He got out of the car and walked to the entrance of the trail. No sign of her. He started to walk to the observation area. About halfway there, the light wind carried the sound of voices to him. He started to run.

...

Tigress turned to the voice behind. Someone had managed to sneak upon her; she had been lost in her contemplation and let her guard down!

Four men were walking toward her. The closest had a red jacket with the hood over his head.

"What are you doing here, mutant? Don't you know you kind ain't welcome here?" the man said.

"I am not a mutant," Tigress said. "And I was leaving anyway."

"Hey guys, heard that? It's a chick!" another man said. That one was quite big, and had one arm covered with tattoos.

Tigress started walking toward the trail but the men barred her way.

"Where do you think you're going, cat face?" red jacket said.

"Look," Tigress said, "I don't want any trouble. If you just let me pass, I'll be on my way."

"Leaving so soon? That's not very polite!"

"What do you want?" Tigress said. She was becoming more and more irritated by that little game.

"How about having some fun? If you're a good girl, everything will go smoothly. You might even enjoy it!" red jacket said.

When she understood what he was implying, Tigress was left speechless.

"Hey guys, looks like we are going to get a piece of tail tonight!" the biggest man said. They all laughed.

Tigress had enough. Theses ruffians deserved a lesson. But she remembered her little overreaction with Tony's friend, and she decided it would wiser to just leave.

"Move over," she said, pushing aside the closest of the men. "I'm leaving right now."

"You ain't going anywhere, mutant bitch!" said red jacket.

There was a flash of steel and Tigress felt something cool sliding on her open paw. The cool was then replaced by warmth as blood started gushing from the wound. She stood fascinated at the sight of the little red drops falling. She felt no pain at all.

Not a hundred feet away, a panting Tony Stark arrived at the scene. He absorbed the sight in a flash: the thugs, the knife and Tigress. She was staring at her paw, unmoving as blood dripped in the dust. The men were chuckling, as if someone had made a good joke. He shouted:

"Tigress! Defend yourself!"

"Who's that?" said the big man.

Hearing Tony's voice, Tigress snapped out of her trance.

She twisted the knife of out the man's hand with a crunch. He was still howling in pain when Tigress kicked him off the ground right into the biggest man. To their honor, the last two didn't waste any time. They both drew knives and jumped at her from opposite directions. Little good it did to them. The face of the first one met Tigress's fist like a brick wall. He had not yet touched the ground when she grabbed the last one by the arm and sent him flying out of sight in the dark. A faint thud was the only clue that he eventually landed somewhere.

When Tony arrived beside her, Tigress was still in fighting stance. She wasn't even breathing hard.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

As soon as they reached the cover of the trees, Tony removed his tie and bandaged Tigress's paw with it.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Embarrassed," she said. "They caught me off guard, that should not have happened." She chose to not dwell on the obscenity of their proposal, nor that fact that she froze after they cut her.

They hurried back to the limo. Tony called back Hogan and five minutes later they were driving back to the mansion.

"You must let me check that cut," Tony said once they were inside.

"No need," she said. "It's just a scratch."

"Tigress, listen," Tony said. "As your host in this word, it is my responsibility to keep you safe. I have failed. So please let me make it up to you the way I can."

She reluctantly agreed. Tony cleaned the wound then dabbed it with SHIELD issued ointment. He did not know what it was, but its healing properties have proven to be remarkable in the past. A nice clean bandage provided the final touch.

"There," Tony said, "That should fix you up. I can't express how much I am sorry for what happened."

Tigress smiled. "You worry too much Tony, but I appreciate your concern. I think I'll go to my room now."

"Good idea," Tony said. "That's enough action for one day. Let's call it a night."

Once in her room, Tigress sat on the bed and stared at her bandaged paw. The wound was really minor, but the implications were disturbing. First, she had let her guard down. Then she just froze in place when cut. It's like she had refused to accept the reality of this world, like a game where nothing really mattered. _This is not a dream! _She shouted to herself. _This world is real, and dangerous!_ She remembered her vision of the other night. She must focus, be alert. She needed to find out why she was here.

* * *

><p>Next : Of gods and photographs<p> 


	7. Chapter 7 : Of gods and photographs

7 : Of gods and photographs

Tigress was standing at the edge of the mansion's balcony. She was staring at the horizon, both her paws on the guardrail. The sun had risen only a couple of minutes ago and a cool breeze was sweeping the balcony.

"Enjoying the view?" Tony asked somewhere behind her. "I couldn't help but notice that you often come here for a look."

"I had never seen the sea before I came here," Tigress said. "I like the way the waves move endlessly; it's fascinating."

"My travels took me on, above, and under all the seas of the world," Tony said. "Yet, when the time came to build my house, I couldn't think of another place. I can't get tired of the sight."

He noticed that she no longer wore the bandage on her paw.

"How's your wound?"

"Oh, that? Don't worry. I had worst injuries while training. The ointment you gave me seems to work. It's nothing, really."

"I'm truly sorry about last night," Tony said. "I wanted to show you the best of my world, but you ended up with the worst."

"Do not feel bad about that, Tony," Tigress said, turning to him."My world has its dark side also. I guess there are thing that do not change, even across universes."

He stayed at her side a while until a ringing broke the silence.

"Pardon me a moment," Tony said as he reached for his cell phone.

"Sir? This is Jarvis. I received a communication from the Avenger's headquarters. It seems that you're about to have a visitor."

He hung up. "Tigress, you'll have to hide. Someone is coming and I would prefer to avoid unnecessary questions..."

"As you wish, Tony," she said, not without a touch of resignation. She crouched down and in a flash she flew over his head and disappeared on the roof of the house.

_Show off!_ thought Tony.

He turned around as something else caught his attention. Something was flying fast and low above the coast and was definitely coming in this direction. Seconds later, a hammer-wielding god was landing on the balcony in a flurry of red cape.

"Howdy, Thor," said Tony casually. "What brings you to my modest abode?"

"Greetings, Tony Stark," said Thor. "I come to deliver a message. The man Fury said that the security of our headquarters has been compromised. Our next meeting shall take place at the SHIELD base..." his voice trailed off.

"Someone is watching us!" Thor shouted. "I can feel it!"

"I can assure you that we alone here," Said Tony, a little uneasy. "What makes you believe that?"

"We Asgardians have senses that reach beyond the grasp of mortals." He lifted his hammer menacingly. "I shall root out this interloper!"

"Wait!" shouted Tony. "This is no threat. Just a guest I was hoping to keep private." He sighed. "Tigress! You can come out now!"

Coming out of nowhere, Tigress landed beside him with a thud.

Thor did not bat an eye at her aspect. Tony realized that the Asgardian must have laid eyes on much weirder things in his travels.

"Well," he said, "I might as well make presentations. Tigress, this is Thor Odinsson, from Asgard. Thor, this is Master Tigress from... uh, another realm."

"I am happy to meet you, Thor," said Tigress with a little bow.

"The honor is all mine, lady." Thor answered, bowing deeper. "I make it that you are also a friend of Tony Stark here?"

"Well..." she started.

"Uh... Thor, pal, come here a moment," tnterrupted Tony as he pulled him aside by the arm. "Tigress presence here is confidential," he said in a hushed tone. "And I would like it to stay that way if you don't mind."

"Ha! Stark man, have you grown bored already with the women of this world that you had to ravish a wench from another? By Odin's beard, your tastes are wilder than mine!"

"That's not it! Tigress is just a guest at my house for a couple of days, nothing more!"

"Of course not!" Thor answered, winking at him. "No need to explain these things between men like us!" He grinned widely. "Now I shall leave you from I am expected elsewhere, goodbye to you two!"

Thor raised his hammer and took off. Tony distinctly heard him laugh as he sped away.

"Jerk!" Tony sneered. "I'd better hear nothing about that at the next Avengers meeting!"

"Is everything alright?" asked Tigress.

"Yeah. It's just that Asgardians as a whole can be a pain in the neck. He must be compensating for something. You know, the bigger the hammer, the smaller the..."

Tigress stared blankly.

"Never mind."

"Tony, who was that, exactly? That man was flying!"

"My dear," he spread his arms wide "You just met the god of thunder himself!"

Her eyes widened. "You mean that in this world the gods are walking the earth among you?"

"Well, not really, but it's as good as it gets. His peoples are so advanced compared to us that they might as well be gods. Our ancestors certainly believed them to be. But we know a bit better now. Imagine for a moment that I was to roam your world wearing my armor, wouldn't I be taken for some supernatural creature?"

"I guess so," said Tigress.

"Me, Thor, and a couple others are part of a special team. We are called upon in certain circumstances, when special kinds of skills and strength are needed. We call ourselves the Avengers." He laughed. "For what you told me about it, we are very much like your Furious Fives!"

_Another thing that we have in common,_ thought Tigress. _Can it be a coincidence?_

"Care for some tea?" Tony asked.

Tigress snapped out of her musing. "Yes, that would be nice." She followed him inside.

…

A little later, Tony came across Tigress in the living room. She was looking at the family portrait hanging on the wall. The picture was dominated by the serious figure of Howard Stark, standing behind his wife and son. Little Tony carried a rather worried expression.

"Is this your family, Tony?" Tigress asked.

"Yes. That picture was taken when I was about ten. Quite a while ago as you can see."

"I also see that you look a lot like your father."

"Yes, I know." Tony said. "I wish I had known him better. He was almost a stranger to me."

"How so?" Tigress asked.

"He was so involved in his research and company that he never had time for me. The rare moments we were together he almost made me feel like a nuisance. I learned much later that he really cared and a lot of things he did, he did for me. But by then, he had been dead for years. I can't help but love him anyway, but he messed up. I just hope I won't do the same mistakes if I have children."

"Must have been great to have a family," Tigress said after a while. "I never knew my parents."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tony said. "Who raised you, if I may ask?"

"I spent my early year at the Bao Gu orphanage, not my happiest time for the most part. Then master Shifu came and adopted me. I owe him everything."

Tony had nothing to add to that, but something flashed in his mind.

"Tigress, wait here. That portrait gave me an idea!"

Tigress half expected to see him come back with yet another set of armor. A minute later, Tony arrived with a camera and a tripod.

"What is this?" Tigress asked as he installed them.

"This is the device we use to make portrait like the one on the wall, we call them photographs," Tony said.

"And what is it that you are going to... photograph?" Tigress asked, uncertain.

"What? You, of course!"

"Me? But why would you want to make a portrait of me?"

"First, you're gorgeous. It would be an insult to art to not portrait you. Second, I would like to have a souvenir of you after you go back to your world," Tony said, still fiddling with the camera.

Tigress was flattered, but still a little uneasy.

"Ready!" Tony said.

"Uh... what do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Just stay there, the camera do all the work," Tony answered.

After looking in the viewfinder for a while, Tony stood up. "That won't do," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"You're stiff like a board, you look like a deer caught in headlights."

Tigress took an indignant air. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Tony sighted. "Nevermind. Just take a Kung-Fu stance."

Tigress complied. "Like this?"

"Good! (click) Now another!"

Tigress switched from the classic tiger claw stance to a crouched front sweep.

"Great! (click) Keep on moving," Tony said, "I'll take it all."

Tigress went through a series of practice moves, a little like what she had done in front of the mirror on her first day. Tony kept on snapping everything.

"Shake that booty!" Tony shouted.

Tigress paused. "What?"

"Just kidding!" he said. "Let's take a couple together." Tony grabbed the remote and went to Tigress's side.

"Come on!" Tony said. "You're stiffening again, don't be so uptight. If you would just get rid of that bamboo stick up your bum!"

"What?"

"Relax! We're trying to create good memories here!" he wrapped his arm around her waist "Now, give me a smile! (click) You can do better than that! Tell me, are you ticklish?" he prodded her ribs a little.

"Ah! Stop that! (click)" She couldn't stop a grin from curling her lips.

"Almost there!" he held her a little closer "Was it that spot already?"

"Haaaa! Stop Tony! (click)" she tried to push him away but his fingertips were merciless.

"To the camera now! (click) I think we may got something!" He released her. "That was not so bad, uh?"

"That's no fair!" she rubbed her side, still smiling "I'm very sensitive in that part!"

"That was worth it! Come here, we'll check the result."

He popped the memory card from the camera, inserted it in a tablet PC and began to flip through the pictures with Tigress.

"You look awesome!" said Tony "No wonder there is so many cat calendars! Can't wait to make a couple of prints. By the way, I think that tonight I'll make you discover another American classic: beer and pizza!"

Tigress eyed him suspiciously. "I don't know, if this is anything like your burger..."

Tony patted her shoulder and smiled. "Be strong!"

* * *

><p>Next : Confessions<p> 


	8. Chapter 8 : Confessions

8 : Confessions

That evening, Tigress was settling down to watch television when Tony walked in the living room.

"Look what I got here!" he said, his arms full of bottles." This is baijiu, there's kaoliang and I believe this one is pronounced huangjiu. I thought you might appreciate a little taste from home"

"Where did you get all this?" Tigress asked, visibly impressed.

"I got some well-placed friends who were happy to advise me," Tony said while putting down the bottles. "So, where do we start?"

"Uh, I do not know if I should..." Tigress started hesitantly.

"Come on!" Tony said, "Is Master Shifu here? Does he think that a full grown Kung-Fu master cannot handle a little liquor? Unless you are going to tell me that you never had any?"

"Well, we do have a little drink a the Winter Feast..."

"Then it's settled! Let's start with this one." Tony uncorked the baijiu bottle and poured two little glasses of a clear liquid.

"To the Furious Five!" Tony said, raising his glass. "May they live long and prosper and kick some serious butt!"

Tigress laughed and sipped her glass. Tony gulped his in one shot. It took him a couple of minutes to recover enough to try to speak.

"What do they put in that stuff?" he said, wiping his tears. "I thought I had swallowed a dragon for a moment!"

"That serves you well!" Tigress said, grinning. "The subtle flavor of baijiu is to be appreciated in small doses."

"I'm not to be so easily defeated," Tony said while opening another bottle, "Let's try this one."

Before long, all bottles had been properly sampled. Years of practice allowed Tony to switch to party mode almost instantaneously. He started telling Tigress funny stories from his early days and from his adventures as the Iron Man. Tigress was especially interested in the gossip he had gathered about the superheros at large and the Avengers in particular. _Women_, he thought, _all_ _the sames across universes!_

While she had been quite reasonable with her drinks (by Tony's standards), Tigress was finally loosing up. She told Tony of her numerous adventures with the Furious Fives, Po always being the center of the funniest ones. She even re-enacted for him the 'Ceremonial Princess Dancing Song' which she was tricked into once. That was hilarious and they both collapsed on the couch in an alcohol-enhanced fit of laughter.

"Tony?"

"Yes, Tigress?"

"You are petting me again." She said.

"Oh! Sorry!" Tony said, pulling back his arm.

"It's alright."

"Tell me, Tigress," Tony started after a while, "I have noticed how often Po comes up when you talk about your world. Whenever you tell me something about him, yours eyes light up and you smile. What are you waiting for?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Tony turned to face her. "When are you going to tell him that you like him?"

Tigress's expression suddenly darkened. She crossed her arms on her chest. "Don't be ridiculous," she said. "That cannot happen."

"And why is that so?"

"There is no room for this kind of feeling for a Kung-Fu master of the Jade Palace," she said. "My destiny is already planned. I'm strong, so I protect the weak. That's what I do, I don't hope for anything more."

"That's it? That's you plan for your life?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"Of course not! Happiness, satisfaction, peace of mind. Ever heard of that? You think you don't deserve it?"

"That is not of your business!" she said, definitely angry this time. "You don't know what duty means, what is expected of me! You cannot understand!"

"Listen," Tony more softly, "I'm not a man of introspection, but during one of my early adventure with the Iron Man suit I've been severely wounded and I had to rest for days with nothing to do but think. I realized that for all my life, I wanted nothing but to prove myself worthy to my father. Even after his death, I did nothing but try to surpass him, to prove that he should have been proud of me. There was nothing else in the world to me. I wanted to be smarter, richer and more popular than everybody else. I was not mature enough to have a serious relationship with a woman, so I decided that I would have all women. I had very few real friends, only peoples that were useful to me." He paused, for it was the first time he admitted this to himself.

"All that wealth and power, it was just a shell around me," Tony continued. "I needed it so I would not feel fragile and vulnerable. It is not a coincidence if my greatest invention is an armor. I'm not so stupid as to not understand the deep meaning of this. I thought that I had all worked out, that my path was clear. I had the chance of learning that I was wrong before it was too late."

He tapped his chest. "I have a chunk of that armor in my body as a reminder. Iron Man inside out!"

"But you", he tapped her chest, "Are forging yourself an heart of iron! Don't think you'll be any stronger because of it. When it will finally break, it will be the end of you."

"You're drunk!"

"I have my best insights when I'm drunk! You're a coward! You'll face any enemy but your own feelings!"

"I won't have any more of this," Tigress said, pulling herself off the couch. "I'm going to my room." She stormed out of the living room.

"Yeah, why don't you do that!" Tony shouted, but she was gone already. He poured himself another glass of baijiu.

...

Later that night in his bed, Tony was staring at the ceiling, arms crossed behind his head. He had no idea what crossed his mind when he said those things to Tigress. Sure, he kind of meaned them. But still that was rude. He realized that what he said to her he never said to anybody. That was odd...

He heard a slight rasp on the door.

"Yes?" Tony straightened a little and, by an unexplainable urge of modesty, pulled the sheets up to cover the reactor on his chest.

The door opened slowly, revealing Tigress's silhouette. She was wearing a silk kimono from the guest closet. Her eyes seemed to shine dimly in the dark.

"Can I come in? I'm sorry to disturb you, but I couldn't sleep." Tigress said.

"Well, that makes two of us. Come on, sit." Said Tony, patting the bed.

Tigress walked softly to the bed and sat beside him.

"Listen Tigress," Tony said. "I am very sorry for what I said earlier. That was undeserved. I had no right to judge you that way, I'm sorry."

"Tony, you are right. About everything. I couldn't stop thinking about it, but the more I try to deny it, the more the pieces fall into place. Whenever I try to see my future, I only see myself like I was when I was young. Strong, feared and... alone. I do not know what to do. I..." she hesitated. "I'm lost."

She closed her eyes and lowered her head. After a moment, Tony realized that she was sobbing softly.

He opened his arms. "Come here." he said.

Without a second of hesitation, Tigress laid down at his side and rested her head on his chest. Tony wrapped his arms around her and started gently stroking the fur of her head. It did not seem strange or awkward to him. It was the call of one kindred soul to another. He spoke to her softly.

"I said those things because I realized how much we are alike in some ways. I guess I wanted to spare you the pain of realizing one day that it's too late to change you life. Believe me, being happy won't make you any less strong."

"I... I... understand," she managed to say.

"You can rest now," Tony said. Here and now, there is no Kung-Fu, no Jade Palace, no responsibilities. There is just you, forget the rest."

She gradually stopped sobbing. Moments later, her breathing became soft and regular as she drifted into sleep. He followed her shortly after.

* * *

><p>Next: Departure<p> 


	9. Chapter 9 : Departure

9 : Departure

From the moment his eyes snapped open, Tony knew that something was amiss. He had his share of outrageous parties and wild nights. Some of them leading to quite embarrassing mornings.

But spooning a tiger was definitely a first.

Tigress had somehow shed her kimono during the night and Tony was becoming increasingly aware of her soft fur against his body and the rock-hard muscles of her tight under his hand. Her tail was lazily wrapped around his leg, tickling his calf.

His instinct told him that now would be the perfect time to get out of there. He grabbed his bathrobe and tiptoed outside the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.

"Tony," he muttered to himself. "You're a damn pervert!" Maybe Thor was right after all. Pepper must NEVER learn about this!

He started to make breakfast in a futile attempt to busy his mind.

…

He felt her presence before hearing anything. He turned to greet her.

"Good morning Tigress, did you sleep well?" He was relieved to see that the kimono was back on.

"Like I haven't in a long time," she said, sitting at the table. "Tony, there is something I must tell you."

"What is it, Tigress?" He mentally braced himself for impact. He had no idea what to expect.

"The other day after I knocked out your friend, I did not go to my room to dry myself like I said. I hid nearby and listened to your conversation."

"And?" Tony said, getting more uneasy by the second.

"I know that you are responsible for creating the rift that brought me here," Tigress said. She rested her chin on her paws and looked at him with a thin smile.

"Oh, I see." Tony gave up his cooking and sat beside her at the table.

"Look, back then I thought that you had enough with dealing with the situation as it was. I did not want to make it worse by having you blaming me on top of that. But you are right, I should have told you. You have every reason to be angry at me." He looked at Tigress: still silent, same mysterious smile.

"Oh, what the hell!" Tony cried. "You know what? I'm happy that it happened, otherwise I would never had the chance to know you. There, I said it. You can beat me up now if you want!"

Tigress's smile widened and she put her paw on Tony's hand.

"I am not angry at you Tony," she finally said.

"No?"

"No. And I am also happy to be here. At first I was angry and confused, as you rightly guessed. But soon I started to believe that there was a reason for me being here, that it was not an accident. After last night, I finally understood."

"You did?" Tony asked.

"I was…"

"Warning!" Jarvis's voice busted in. "There is a sudden increase of activity in the trans-dimensional sensors. My calculations predict that the anomaly will re-open in approximately 10 minutes!"

"But that's too early!" Tony said. "Jarvis, are positive about this?"

"Absolutely sir. The readings are through the roof. Re-opening is imminent."

"Quick!" Tony said. "Go dress yourself and join me in the lab!"

Tigress ran to her room. Tony started for the lab then stopped, there was something he had to get first.

Moments later, they were both in the lab staring at the big 'X' on the floor.

"Now behold," said Tony. "Few have ever seen anything like this."

Tigress squinted at the floor. "I don't see any... Whoa!"

She jerked backward as a huge sphere of shimmering mist suddenly materialized. A warm breeze and a floral scent filled the room.

"I recognize that smell!" said Tigress. "It's the blossoming cherry trees of the Wu Dan mountains! It is really on the other side of that thing!"

Tony turned to her. "Well, I guess this is it, Tigress. There are still so many things I wanted to show you." He took her paw in his hands. "Please, remember me when you will be back in your world!"

She stared at him for a couple of seconds with her great amber eyes. Suddenly, she lunged at him and hugged him tight, her powerful paws pressed on his back.

"I will never forget you Tony." She held still for a moment, then backed up a little. Her eyes were glistening with tears. "I will never see you again isn't?"

"I am afraid so, Tigress." He paused, then glanced at the shining anomaly for a moment. He turned toward her, smiling. "I will find a way! Now go!"

She released him and walked a few steps toward the shining gate.

"Tigress!" He shouted.

She turned toward him. "Yes, Tony?"

"Give Po a chance, he really seems to be a good guy!"

She smiled at him, then jumped.

Ten seconds later, the anomaly collapsed with a bang. A moment more and the smell of blossoms vanished too. Tony stayed in the lab a long time afterward, staring at the empty space.

On the other side of the anomaly, Tigress was standing in a clearing, the sunlight of the afternoon slowly heating her body. She had crossed gulfs of time and space in the blink of an eye and still felt a little disoriented. Everything had happened exactly as Tony told her. She was at the exact same spot when she crossed the first time. She also knew that time haven't moved a bit either, because she was hearing her friends talking and laughing a little downhill from her.

She looked at the thing Tony gave her. The only proof that I did not dream all of this, she thought. She hid it in her tunic as she heard someone stumble in the clearing. It was Po.

"Ha! Tigress! I'm glad to see you waited for us!" He said almost out of breath. "I promised the others a bowl of my famous soup if they slowed down a little for me, but I knew that would not work for you!"

Tigress said nothing as the rest of the furious five gathered in the clearing.

"Is everything alright?" Asked Po. "You look worried."

"I'm fine." She smiled. "In fact, I am very happy to see you all!"

Later that evening when everybody had retired to their rooms for the night, Tigress sat on her bed with Tony's gift in her lap, finally opened.

_I can't tell them anything_, she thought. Nobody in their right minds can believe this. For them she was never gone anywhere, not for a second. This would be her secret, her private treasure. Those memories were her alone to carry, but they would not be a burden.

She looked at the gift. It was a photograph, it had been tightly rolled inside the cardboard cylinder. It was her and Tony, one of the several he had taken while tickling her and playing the fool. He was winking at the camera while she was in the middle of a burst of laughter. She looked relaxed, carefree. Happy. "Being happy will not make you any less strong." he had said. "And give Po a chance."

Yes. She would.

* * *

><p>Next : Epilogue<p> 


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

The Jade palace was in upheaval. It have been barely a couple of months since Shen was defeated at Gongmen but a new threat was looming. Messengers had brought alarming news. A golden dragon had been sighted, flying on a trail of flames. Whenever it landed, it asked in a booming voice where he could find the Furious Fives and the Jade Palace. Most peoples were to terrified to answer, but it was just a matter of time until he made his way there. Master Shifu had summoned the Fives and the Dragon warrior to the courtyard to plan a course of action.

"Tigress, here you are!" said Po as he entered the training hall. "I should have guessed! Master Shifu wants us outside, about that dragon thing!"

Tigress stopped her training and walked toward him. "Do you really think it's a dragon, Po? How are we going to fight that?"

"Fear not! This threat in no match for our combined awesomeness!" Po said, smiling.

"Don't take it so lightly," said Tigress, "our last adventures almost had you killed!"

"Almost, that's the point." Po laid his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"Will you trust me this time? You will not try to lock me up somewhere to protect me?"

Tigress held his stare "You can't blame me for not wanting to lose you."

"That won't happen, I swear."

Po emerald eyes were still fixated on hers.

"Is this one of your staring contest again?" she asked.

"Yes, and I will win in a moment!" said Po.

"How so?"

Po got a little closer "I have a secret weapon against which you are helpless!"

"And what would that be? Po?"

Without blinking, Po closed the distance between them and kissed her.

Tigress's eyes grew wide with surprise, then closed as she surrendered.

"I told you I would win," said Po, hugging her.

"There are worst ways to loose!" she said, burying her face in his neck.

"We should join the others," Po said after a moment.

She laughed "All right, but I am not done with you!"

When they arrived in the courtyard, Shifu and the rest of the Furious Fives where waiting for them.

"Greeting warriors," Shifu said. "You heard the news, it seems that we may be facing an adversary like we have never seen before. So expect anything. We will try to lure it away from the Palace and the village. But first, we must find it."

"We won't need to," interrupted Mantis.

"And how is that so, my friend?" Shifu asked.

Mantis pointed a thingy at the sky. "It have found us," he said.

Above them, what looked like a trail of fire crossed the sky. Seconds later, it was close enough for them to work out the details. It looked indeed like a golden dragon, with flames pouring from its hands and feet. It landed before them with a thud that shook the ground. It's head looked like the traditional representations of dragons that were sculpted here and there at the Jade Palace. It's body seemed to be made of a golden metal, with lots of detailed ornaments. Inexplicably, the whole thing felt disturbingly familiar to Tigress.

The thing took a couple of steps toward the warriors, who instantly assumed fighting stances. Tiny cracks appeared on the dragon's head. It suddenly splitted apart and collapsed neatly on the sides, revealing a smiling and familiar face.

"Tony!" Shouted Tigress. She threw herself in his arms, lifting him off the ground, armor and all. Behind her, everybody was too shocked to react.

"I told you I would find a way!" he said, grinning.

She backed up a little and looked at him. "Nice armor you have there!"

"You like it? I thought it would be a good idea to not have a too alien appearance."

Tigress lifted a paw and touched the graying hairs of his head.

"What happened to you?" she asked. "You look..."

"Older? Well I am! A long time has passed in my world since you came. It was not an easy task to track you universe among a infinity of others. I guess it was not as long on your side because you did remember me!"

"Of course I did!" Said Tigress. "I often look at the photograph you gave me. It reminds me that I did not dream those days!"

"Speaking of photographs, wait till I show you those of my wife and kids!"

"Children? You got children now?"

"As I said, a lot of things have happened since then!" He looked over her shoulder at the still flabbergasted group. "Why don't you introduce me to you friends? I bet they will be very interested in our little story!"

THE END


End file.
